Masks and Magic
by Haunted Leopard
Summary: Upon that fateful Halloween Night, Lily & James Potter didn't actually die. They faked their death to protect their baby boy. Harry ends up in not only a different country, but in a slightly different universe. He grows up as Akira Kurusu. And now, The Phantom Thieves have been summoned to Hogwarts...
1. One Fateful Night

It was October 31st, 1981. Within Godric's Hollow, there was much laughter and screams of delighted terror. It was Halloween of course and the muggles had no idea what was about to happen this night. Only one house was mostly silent. This house was home to the Potters - Lily, James and their infant son Harry. Currently with them were their good friends Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. However, despite being in good company, the mood within the Potter household was a gloomy one. All four young adults had just figured out that Albus Dumbledore, the man they trusted, was going to have Lily and James sacrificed just so that their son could be a martyr later on in life. Why did Dumbledore want this? So he could have the claim of defeating two Dark wizards. It was also revealed that Peter is actually a spy to Lord Voldemort, under guidance of none other than Dumbledore himself. And so, the four friends were gathered in the living room, Lily and James about to tell their friends what was going to happen.

"So what exactly do you two have in mind, Prongs?" Sirius asks, actually nervous.

"Well, to prevent Albus from getting what he wants, we're going to mess with his plans entirely. My darling Lily came up with the idea," James says. Lily only rolled her green eyes at her husband.

"I found an old ritual that will allow us to send Harry to a safe place until it is time for him to come home. We're hoping by sending him off to this safe place, we can one day bring him back and help him to avoid all of this prophecy stuff," Lily says, looking down at her son.

"Y-you're sending him away?" Remus chokes out, his eyes wide.

"Temporarily. Sadly, it'll be 13 years due to how much magic we are sacrificing. And no, you two are not sacrificing your magic as we have plans for you two," James says, seeing that his best friends were about to speak out. Sirius and Remus remain quiet.

"Afterwards, we are going to drink Draughts of Living Death. We need you two to help fake our deaths and help us stay hidden. We need Albus to think he was partially successful in his plans," Lily explains to the two men. She hands Harry over to Sirius and Remus to give her son's dogfather and honorary uncle a few moments as it would be a while before they all saw little Harry again.

"And we're to act like we had no idea what happened, yes?" Remus asks, looking up for a moment. He gets a nod.

"So Sirius, you better be the dramatic little shit I know you can be when we 'die'," James smirks at Sirius, who in turn snorts.

"I wouldn't be myself if I wasn't hysteric over the death of my brother and sister-in-law," Sirius says. Soon enough, it was time to make the preparations before Voldemort even had a chance to screw up their plans. After Remus and Sirius left, James and Lily took Harry up to his room and go about setting up the ritual. They wait with baby Harry for the Fidelius charm to break and once it does, the two gather up the magic necessary for this ritual. Voldemort blasts the door open, only to be greeted with a blast of blinding light and a green light - the Killing Curse. As Voldemort's body was destroyed and his pitiful soul screeches away, the Potters send their only son away to a safer place. Smiling sadly at one another, Lily and James down their vials of Draught of Living Death, quickly banishing the bottles before slumping to the floor, appearing to be dead.

Dumbledore had been one of the first to arrive on scene and he looks at the house that used to belong to the Potters. He smiled a sad smile. He didn't like that he had to sacrifice the best witch and wizard duo he had seen in a while, but it was necessary for the Greater Good. He steps into the house and walks through it, wondering where the Potters made their last stance. He arrives in the baby room and sees James and Lily laying on the floor dead. His heart hurts a bit seeing the young couple on the ground dead. However, he became alarmed when seeing that young Harry was not there. Albus frowns and looks around carefully. His planned worked.. To an extent. Voldemort was currently no more but young Harry would not be with his aunt and uncle. His attention is pulled back to the entrance upon hearing Sirius. A few moments later, a distressed Sirius appears.

"Where's Harry?! Where's my god son?!" Sirius asks, almost in hysterics. He hoped that James could hear him and was laughing.

"I'm afraid I do not know... I cannot say if he's dead or alive. But he is not here..." Albus says.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT HARRY'S NOT HERE?!" Sirius roared in Albus's face. Another set of footsteps. It was Remus this time.

"He is not here. I got here only moments before you did Sirius," Albus says calmly.

"And you're saying Harry is no where to be found..?" Remus asks, his voice cracking a bit. Albus nods solemnly. Remus looks at Lily's and James's bodies. "We can at least bury them Padfoot..." he whispers.

"This is your fault Albus. I hope you know that," Sirius growls, tears threatening to fall. Damn, he was a good actor. Without another word, Sirius and Remus levitate their "dead" friends bodies and take their wands. It was time for them to do their part so that when Harry did return, he could be reunited with his parents.

 **~Somewhere in an alternate universe in Japan, 2001...~**

Young Harry appeared on the doorstep of a lonely couple. They were the Kurusu's. When they heard a baby's babble, Mrs. Kurusu immediately opened the door, and gasped in shock upon seeing Harry on her doorstep. Quickly looking around, Mrs. Kurusu picks Harry up and brings him inside to her husband. The now happy couple smile as they look at baby Harry and decided they would raise this abandoned child. Harry Potter was no more, and Akira Kurusu is born.


	2. 16 Years Later Or is it 13?

Akira was currently dressed as Joker, driving through Mementos with his Phantom Thieves. With him in Mona's bus form is Ann Takamaki - Panther, Ryuji Sakamoto - Skull, Yusuke Kitagawa - Fox, Makoto Nijima - Queen and the newly acquired Futaba Sakura - Oracle. As Akira drove through Mementos, he was thinking about how weird his life had become. Vague memories of someone named Unca Mooy and Padfoo were in his head, along with a woman with bright red hair and a man with messy black hair.. Like his. His memories drifted back to how he even ended up at Shujin - saving a woman from being harassed, only to be called a delinquent. It did leave a bitter taste in his mouth. But then again, he would have never met these amazing people he calls his friends if he hadn't gone through with his saving people thing, as his mother called it. Speaking of his mother, memories of the night before being shipped off to Sojiro flood his mind.

 ** _"Akira, I know you were trying to help her out but we have to go through with this. I always did tell you your saving people thing would get you into trouble one day. Now, be on your best behavior and we'll see you in a year," Mrs. Kurusu says, looking at her son._**

 ** _"Now, Sojiro-san was very polite to let you live under his roof. You better not cause the man any trouble, you hear?" Mr. Kurusu says, being a bit more firm than his wife. Akira sighs and he nods._**

 ** _"I understand," Akira answers, a little dejected._**

 ** _"Oh, and try not to use your abilities.. We don't need you cause more trouble than you already are in, alright?" Mr. Kurusu says, this time a bit softer. Akira nods again. He waits for his parents to leave before thinking about changing his eye color. Concentrating hard enough, Akira's emerald green eyes turn into a dark grey, almost black color. He also looks over at the glasses on his desk. At least that would let him hide his shame and complete identity from people..._**

 _"Joker! Look out!"_ Panther shouts, snapping Joker from his thoughts. Joker has Mona's bus form skid around the corner.

" _You okay dude? You were just really zoned out..."_ Skull says. The raven haired male waves Skull's concerns off.

" _Yeah, I was just thinking about the night before I came to Sojiro-san's place,"_ Joker says.

" _Ooooh. Well don't regret getting your ass sent to Shujin or I might just kick it,"_ Skull grins, making Joker laugh.

" _I'd like to see you try Skull.. I'd like to see you try,"_ the leader of the Phantom Thieves smirks.

" _Alright boys, lets focus on why we're here before Skull ACTUALLY tries to kick Joker's ass,"_ Queen says.

" _I dunno Queen.. I think it would be a very funny sight to see. Though I don't think Skull would win,"_ Oracle giggles.

" _I'm with you there Oracle!"_ Mona says through the radio.

" _Hey! Like you could do any better Mona!"_ Skull scowled. As Skull and Mona continued to bicker, the girls giggled and Joker kept driving. Today was just a day to defeat some Shadows in Mementos. No requests, no Palaces, just eliminating Shadows to keep everyone's skill up and at their finest. He comes to a halt when he sees a rather bright light. He hops out of Mona's bus form, the others curiously following. Joker approaches the bright light cautiously.

" _Weird! That light has a vibe very similar to Joker! It doesn't feel like Persona or Shadow.. But something else.. Magic maybe?"_ Oracle says.

" _Can you tell if it is harmful or not Oracle?"_ Fox asks, adjusting his fox shaped mask. A blue flame appears where Oracle's goggle mask once was, her Persona of Necronomicon appearing above her as she scans the bright light.

" _It doesn't seem harmful... But at the same time, there's nothing benevolent about the light either.."_ Oracle says.

" _Well Joker, are you going to touch it? Or should we just be on our way?"_ Mona asks, looking up at the leader of the Phantom Thieves. Joker is silent for a moment before debating the pros and cons of touching the light.

" _Let's leave it for now_ ," Joker says, turning his back to the light. The Phantom Thieves follow suit and just as Mona was about to become a bus again, the bright light flashes dazzlingly, lashing out with tendrils of light. A tendril grabs each of the thieves, catching them all by surprise as they are then dragged into the light. A few moments, they are spat out onto a cold stone floor, gasps being heard around them.

 **Moments before...**

Tonight was October 31st, 1994. It was the 13th anniversary of when little Harry was sent off to another world and that Lily and James supposedly died. Within the walls of Hogwarts were students from three schools - Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Each student was gathered in the Great Hall of Hogwarts, all eyes on the large and rather flashy goblet, known as the Goblet of Fire. Tonight, the three champions for the Tri-Wizard Tournament were to be picked. Two staff members were not really paying much attention to the Goblet or the pickings of the students. They were more so looking for any sign of their son being returned to them. After Cedric Diggory had been picked for Hogwarts's champion, a very sudden flashy, bright light appeared ten feet from the Goblet. After the light subsided, six people and a humanoid cat were revealed to be laying on the ground. A few gasps echoed around the hall at the appearance of these sudden people. The female staff member who was looking for her son, turns to the male staff, her eyes wide.

"You think our little boy is in that jumble of people?" she whispers, not believing her eyes.

"I think so... One of them has no doubt the signature messy Potter hair," the male replied. "But why are they dressed so funny?"

"Looks like Albus recovered and we're about to find out," the female replied. And just a moment after, Albus did indeed recover from the initial shock. He looks over the oddly dressed people and tries to figure out why they were here.

"Ah, hello there! Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Might I ask how you got here?" Albus says pleasantly. Six heads turned to one Panther, having no idea what Albus just said to them.

" _Uuuuhh Panther? Wanna help us out here? What's gramps saying?"_ Skull asks.

" _Well, apparently this place is some sort of magic school named Hogwarts. He wants to know how we got here,"_ Panther translate. Akira puts his hands up and makes jazz hands.

" _Magic,"_ Joker replies. Oracle, Skull and Fox snorted at Joker's rather silly but accurate answer.

"Er, well you see.. We don't know. All we know is that it's some sort of magic I guess?" Panther says to Albus.

"I see. Well, I am Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. And who might you all be?" Albus asks. He had tried using occlumency on the teenagers and humanoid cat but all he got was a raging blue fire from each.

" _Leader.. How should I introduce us all?"_ Panther asks.

" _Not to overstep you Leader, but if these guys truly know magic, then perhaps ask them for a translation spell so that you don't have to constantly keep translating back and forth,"_ Queen suggests.

" _Good idea,"_ Panther nods. She looks back at Albus. "Before we do that... Do you have a translation spell? That is if you're really wizards."

"Ah, of course. Professor O'Sullivan? Are you ready to try out your new rune set?" Albus calls out to the female that had been waiting for her son. Said woman comes down and draws her wand. As she approaches the group of odd people, she starts waving her wand in an intricate pattern, muttering under her breath. Golden bands with runes appear around each newcomer's, minus Panther, wrist.

"There, that should allow you to understand and speak English without an issue," Professor O'Sullivan says. She saw Joker's eyes and was confused when seeing dark grey instead of emerald. However, she said nothing.

"Huh, how intriguing. It would appear that they were right. How odd... Hearing myself speak in English..." Fox muses.

"So leader, want to introduce us then?" Panther asks. Said male only smirks in response.

"Of course. We are the Phantom Thieves of Heart~ We will steal all of your distorted desires~" Joker starts. "I am Joker," he then says with a bow. "With me are Panther, Skull, Fox, Queen, Mona and Oracle!"

"What about your real names?" Albus asks, arching an eyebrow.

"Well, to be fair, we don't really know who you guys are and we are THIEVES," Mona says. This startled a few people, primarily the muggleborns that were still adjusting to life of magic. Just as another comment was to be made, the Goblet of Fire started spouting an angry red flame, angrier than the previous spouts and a piece of paper was finally shot up into the air. Albus grabs it and opens it.

"Impossible..." Albus mutters. "That name could not have been summoned... He doesn't exist.. Unless he's now here..."

"Who Albus?" Professor O'Sullivan asks.

"Harry Potter!" Albus calls out. The Great Hall falls into a deathly silence. Joker's eyebrows furrow. Harry Potter... That name... It seemed vaguely familiar... But why?

"Not to change the topic, but do you think you could tell us where exactly we are and maybe the date..?" Oracle speaks up, hiding behind Joker.

"Why you're in Scotland and today is October 31st, 1994," Albus answers. Oracle made a noise of shock.

"Oh dear, we ended up in a different universe you guys..." Oracle says faintly. Most of the Phantom Thieves just kinda accepted this odd reality, despite not liking it and how uncomfortable they were.

"Wait, we got dragged into the past 23 years? Different country I can believe, but 23 years in the past? No way!" Skull says. Queen pulls out her phone.

"Well, if you want proof, I have proof Skull. There's no signal here or anything on our phones," Queen comments.

"That's a phone? I thought they were larger than that..." Professor O'Sullivan comments.

"That's still ridiculous man!" Skull says.

"So we know where and when we are but we don't know how exactly we got here.." Fox muses.

"Actually, I can explain how you got here.." Professor O'Sullivan says, a bit sheepishly. A few moments later and the male professor she was talking to was at her side. They look at each other and they drop the heavily applied glamour charms, causing even more gasps to sound throughout the hall. Where Professor O'Sullivan and the male professor stood was now none other than Lily and James Potter. Joker's dark grey eyes widen as the vague memories flash through his head.

"I... I know you two..." Joker says, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Of course you do. We're your parents, Lily and James Potter. And you're our son Harry Potter," Lily says softly.

"Before anyone asks anymore questions, I think it's best we explain what happened on that night 13 years ago," James says. Albus quickly took control of the situation and had a small table set up for the Phantom Thieves to sit at while Lily and James explained what happened on that fateful night. Albus couldn't believe how Lily and James outsmarted him! And to think the messy haired thief was the missing Harry Potter. The only thing that didn't add up was that Joker looked both OLDER than 14 and did not have emerald green eyes, similar to that of his mother. Joker listens to his supposed birth parents explain what happened that night. It did make a lot of sense, but the only thing that made no sense was how different time was. Only 13 years had passed in this world while back in his home world, 16 had passed.

" _Joker! I get why you have a different feel than everyone here! The story they are telling has to be true! This is the universe you're from. You're a wizard. Which means that the multiverse theory is correct and that time must flow different between them. How weird..."_ Oracle says, getting a bit excited.

" _It would appear to be the case.. Except I'm not.. Harry Potter anymore. How can I be?"_ Joker says, frowning.

" _Not to bring even worse news dude, but uh your name came from that goblet thing... We should probably ask what that was all about,"_ Skull says.

" _So we need to ask about the goblet and why your name came out, if they can send us back and if they can't right away, maybe see about where we will stay,"_ Mona says.

" _Right. Though I would imagine that my uh.. parents would have some questions to ask me. Though I suppose that we should probably give our normal names,"_ Joker muses.

" _Well before we reveal our names, we'll have to see if we can get out of our Phantom Thief garb. Also, we should see if we can still summon our Personas,"_ Queen adds on.

" _We can definitely use our Personas still. Though I say we keep that hidden as long as we can. Ya know, element of surprise,"_ Oracle comments.

" _Good idea Oracle! I think we can also assume that our toy guns don't work here like they do in the Metaverse..."_ Ann points out. She looks over at Joker and sees that he was now in his school wear, glasses included.

" _Well, that answers that... We can somehow swap between Phantom Thief attire and normal attire,"_ Fox comments before also in his school wear.

" _Intriguing! I bet the magic of this world gave us all a little bit of magic like Joker so we could do this!"_ Oracle says before changing. Panther, Skull and Queen also change. Mona was the only one hesitant but sighed and changes back into a cat. The messy haired male walks up to Lily, James and Albus.

"We have questions and I would imagine you do too. Go ahead and ask the question that's eating at you," the teen says.

"What is your name if it is not Harry Potter?" Albus asks. He gets a smirk.

"Akira Kurusu."


	3. Phantom Thieves Get a New Friend

"Akira Kurusu," was the response that Akira gave to the suspicious grandfatherly wizard before him. He looks at the people claiming to be his parents, and the vague memory of the woman with bright red hair and the man with hair similar to his flashes into his mind. His dark grey eyes flicker to the emerald for a moment as the memory plays through again. Akira was conflicted; these people were his birth parents but they abandoned him. While it seemed like it was for a good cause, it didn't sit well with him - something seemed to be missing. On the other hand, Akira found his family and maybe he could meet this Unca Mooy and Padfoo.

"Oh! You have magic! How wonderful!" Albus comments, snapping Akira out of his memory.

"Hmm? Well yeah, how else did you think we were able to change clothes like that?" Akira snarks. James couldn't help but snort hearing Akira, definitely being able to see that this lad was his son.

"That's not how you normally change into those interesting outfits of yours?" Albus asks surprised.

"Not at all. But you don't need to know how. But my friends and I have many questions. First of all, can you send us back?" Akira asks.

"I'm not sure on that one. The ritual your father and I performed was a temporary relocation ritual. It was just to send you somewhere safe equal to the amount of magic we sacrificed. We're surprised your friends came along," Lily answers. She hid the sadness upon hearing her son wanting to go back.

"Alright, secondly, what's with that goblet and why did my original name come out of it?" Akira asks.

"We are uncertain why your name came out of it," Albus answers. "But the goblet is the Goblet of Fire. It chooses the champions for the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Three tasks are presented and each Champion must complete them. The winner receives eternal fame and glory."

"Well count me out. I'm not a wizard and I assume you already have three champions," Akira says.

"I'm afraid not my boy. Anyone who's name comes out of the Goblet MUST compete, or they will die," Albus says.

"What?! That's ridiculous! You can't expect Akira to compete in something he never wanted to be apart of! And what the hell kind of magic is that?!" Ann shouts, standing up from her seat.

"Yeah! That's bullshit! You gotta be able break it!" Ryuji says, standing up in anger. James sighs softly.

"In this world, a magic oath or contract cannot be broken. As Albus stated, if one was to break it, they would die," James explains. All of the Phantom Thieves scowl in anger - more injustice in this world and they were getting the short end of the stick. Akira closes his eyes and sighs.

"Fine. I'll participate in your stupid tournament. So where are we staying?" Akira asks, arching an eyebrow.

"Albus, I believe there are guest suites that we can put them in," a woman in emerald green robes says.

"Mmm. Good idea Minerva. I suppose everyone should get a goodnight's rest now. After all, the feast is over and our champions have been chosen," Albus says. He turns and goes to get the Champions.. Only to see them at the entrance, having heard every single word.

"If you all would follow me, I will bring you to where you will be staying tonight," Minerva says. The Phantom Thieves, including Akira, follow Minerva off. Lily and James watch their son walk off, knowing that they would have to wait to approach their son in the morrow when all of this had sunk in. One bushy haired female had been intrigued by the newcomers more than the other students and wanted to know more about them. She decided to follow at a distance and to find a place to hide so that her head of house wouldn't catch her out in the corridors when she shouldn't be. She heard them speaking in Japanese and wished that she could understand it and made that a mental note to learn Japanese or get the rune set that Professor O'Sullivan- rather Professor Potter had created.

Akira had noticed that someone was following them and he turned to the Phantom Thieves, informing them in Japanese that they had a little follower. They made a quick plan to confront their follower after Minerva left. They make note of the portrait that would be their door to their suite and that the password was Felix Felicis. Minerva heads back to her office, walking past the bushy haired student, not noticing her due to the disillusionment charm. Stepping out from her hiding place and dropping the disillusionment charm, the student approaches the portrait.

"Hello~ What are you doing over here?" came Akira's voice from behind her. She jumps in surprise and turns around.

"Erm, well I uh wanted to get to know you better. I'm Hermione Granger. I'm a fourth year," the girl, now revealed to be Hermione answers. Akira grins.

"See Morgana? Harmless," Akira says, looking at the cat perched on his shoulder.

"Like I said! Better safe than sorry Akira!" Morgana grumbles. Hermione gasps.

"He still talks while in cat form? That's so intriguing!" Hermione says. Akira and Morgana were taken by surprise.

"Wait, you can understand me?" Morgana asks. Hermione nods.

"Well, that's good. No translations necessary then," Akira says. He looks at Hermione. "Well, why don't you come join us?" he asks, offering his hand to Hermione. Hermione looks at Akira's hand for a moment before taking it. She was surprised at how soft his hand was but let him lead her into the suite. The suite looked similar to that of the Gryffindor common room but not as red. There was a common area and two doors that led to what she assumed were the bedrooms for both males and females. Sitting upon the couch was Ann and Ryuji while Yusuke sat perched on a chair. Makoto sat in a different chair and Futaba was seated on a pillow on the floor. Akira takes another pillow and sits while Hermione took the seat that sat her between Ryuji and Ann.

"Alright Phantom Thieves. This is Hermione Granger! She can hear me in this form!" Morgana says, leaping from Akira's shoulder to a table.

"Hello," Hermione says, waving a bit. "It's nice to meet all of you."

"You as well Hermione. I am Makoto Niijima," Makoto says with a smile.

"I am Yusuke Kitagawa," Yusuke says pleasantly.

"Ann Takamaki! Nice to meet you!" the blonde female says.

"Ryuji Sakamoto," Ryuji says. Futaba took a moment and after a nudge from Akira, she looks up at Hermione.

"Uh, I'm Futaba Sakura.. Nice to uhm meet you," Futaba says shyly. Hermione smiles what she hoped was a warm smile.

"So what do you want to know about us, Hermione?" Makoto asks. Her reddish-brown eyes lock with Hermione's honey brown ones, holding the young witch's gaze.

"Well, when you first introduced yourselves... You called yourselves the Phantom Thieves of Heart. What do you mean by that and stealing distorted desires?" Hermione asks, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Mona? I think you and Akira will be better for explaining this to Hermione here," Ryuji says. Morgana and Akira nod in agreement.

"Well Hermione, we do exactly as we said - steal people's distorted desires. Someone with a twisted heart that is causing injustice are our targets. We steal that desire of theirs and get them to have a change of heart. They confess their wrong-doings and whatever they were causing stops," Morgana explains.

"As an example, the first time we did this, it was me, Ann, Ryuji and Morgana and we stole the volleyball coach's heart at our high school. He was abusing the volleyball athletes and the female students had it far worse. So after we stole his heart, the piece of shit confessed and then the volleyball students were starting to fair better," Akira says. Ann looks down a bit, causing Ryuji to reach behind Hermione and grasp her shoulder. Hermione looks at Ann with a sympathetic look and puts a gentle hand on her knee. The blonde smiles gratefully at Ryuji and Hermione.

"That's.. horrible what he did. I see why you do this. Someone has to bring about justice to them," the Gryffindor says. "So how do you steal these people's hearts?"

"Well, we steal their desires quite literally. Their desires manifest into a physical representation and we are able to snatch it," Yusuke answers, making a snatching motion.

"And the best way to describe how we do it, Mione, is magic~" Akira says, making jazz hands. Hermione's face heated up a bit at the nickname Akira suddenly gave her. The raven haired male just smirks a bit. Futaba manages to pull the pillow out from under Akira and whacks him in the head, scowling playfully at his teasing nature. His glasses go flying. Hermione pulls out her wand and casts the summoning spell on them, the glasses zooming back to her hand. She then hands them back to Akira, who takes them back.

"I think you might need these back," Hermione says. Akira chuckles but just sets them on the nearby table.

"Thanks but I don't actually need them. More of an aesthetic sort of thing," Akira says.

"Akira is just really weird. I apologize for his weirdness," Futaba says, sticking her tongue out at Akira, who returns the gesture. Makoto sighs softly while Ann and Hermione just giggle at the interaction.

"However Hermione, I don't think we can let you tell others about this.. process of ours..." Yusuke says, looking at the witch.

"I'm in agreement with Yusuke. I have suspicion that there is corruption here too," Makoto says. Morgana nods.

"Agreed! Phantom Thieves! We have a mission tomorrow!" Morgana says. Akira moves closer to the couch. He shifts onto his knees and straightens up before gently grabbing Hermione's chin in his right hand, his left hand resting on her thigh. He holds Hermione's honey brown gaze with his currently dark grey gaze. Hermione was doing her best to hold back the blush that was threatening to appear on her cheeks.

"So Mione~ How do you plan on keeping this a secret hmm~?" Akira asks, smirking a bit. There were various reactions to Akira's rather flirtatious manner - Ryuji snickered, Yusuke, Makoto and Ann roll their eyes, Morgana face-paws and Futaba just shakes her head.

"I"ll perform an oath to keep quiet," Hermione answers, keeping her gaze locked with Akira. With her wand hand, she brings her wand up to her temple. "I swear upon my life and magic that I will not tell anyone outside of this room about the Phantom Thieves and their plans. So I Swear It, So Mote It Be." A faint flash of light courses through Hermione's body. Akira had then moved his hands to rest on top of Hermione's knees.

"Well. That's one way to make sure you'll stay quiet!" Ann blinks.

"Yes. As much as we enjoy talking to you Hermione, I think we all need to retire to bed. Will you be alright getting back to your dorm?" Makoto says.

"As long as I don't get caught by the prefects, any professors or the Head Girl and Boy considering it's after curfew. But I'll be fine!" Hermione says. Akira stands up and scoops Hermione up in one smooth movement.

"Nope. You're just going to stay with us," Akira says, holding Hermione bridal style. He starts walking towards one set of the doors.

"Akira! I don't have to stay here! And I can't go into the boys' dorms!" Hermione squeaked out.

"What's to stop me?" Akira asks, arching an eyebrow.

"The doors won't let you!" Hermione answers. Akira just waltzes right into the dorm and Hermione was surprised to see that there were enough beds to hold the Phantom Thieves. "So is the other door the bathroom...?"

"Yup! Besides, Akira likes to be a cheeky little shit, so there was no escape," Ryuji says from behind.

"It's better to just let it happen. Besides, Akira won't try to do anything," Futaba says with a soft smile. Hermione just groans.

"You're insufferable. I should hex you.." Hermione grumbles.

"Would a hex work on Akira if he has Arsene equipped?" Makoto asks. Akira pauses where he was and thinks.

"Well Arsene is resistant to curses... So maybe?" Akira says.

"That's something we can figure out tomorrow as well. For now, let's get some sleep everyone!" Morgana orders. The Phantom Thieves, plus Hermione, get ready for bed and get settled. Hermione couldn't quite escape Akira's grasp but part of her was alright with it despite all the protests she threw about. All she got was a shoosh and a finger to her lips. After a few more moments of trying to leave, Hermione just gives up and falls asleep next to the already sleeping Akira, a blush creeping up on her cheeks as Akira's arm was wrapped around her waist.

 **~The Next Morning~**

Hermione woke up and almost let out a yelp of surprise had she not remembered the previous night's adventure. She was still in the same bed with Akira who slumbered on. In fact, the only one awake besides her was Makoto. Hermione looks at Akira and shakes him gently in attempt to get him to wake up. Eventually Akira wakes up and releases Hermione from his grip, allowing the witch to get up and Scourgify her clothes since she would not have time to go back to her dorm to get clean clothes. When everyone else was up, Hermione does the same since they only had their school clothes, or in Futaba's case her usual clothes, and their Phantom Thieves outfits.

"We'll have to get you guys more clothes while you're here... Though I would imagine Professors Potter might help you with that," Hermione says. "Also, when you're all ready, I will bring you to the Great Hall for breakfast."

"Sweet! I'm starved!" Ryuji says upon hearing food. Morgana leaps up onto Akira's shoulder. He then looks around at everyone before speaking.

"Alright Phantom Thieves! Time to follow Hermione to the Great Hall! Don't forget about our other missions we have to work on!"


	4. Getting Settled In

Hermione leads the Phantom Thieves down to the Great Hall, Akira the closest to her. Of course, as soon as she opened the doors to the Great Hall and people saw her with the Phantom Thieves, rumors immediately start flying around. She lets out a gentle sigh before parting ways and heading over to the Gryffindor table while the Phantom Thieves went to the small table that had been constructed for them yesterday. As Hermione sits down, she was not surprised to see both Lavender Brown and Parvarti Patil IMMEDIATELY turn to her. The two girls were smirking and wiggling eyebrows at her.

"Soooo Hermione~ We noticed you didn't return to the dorm last night!" Lavender starts. Hermione sighs, knowing she wasn't getting out of this one.

"That's because I was talking to the Phantom Thieves and when I finished, it was past curfew," Hermione says as she makes a plate.

"What was the guest suite like?" Parvarti asks.

"Just like the common rooms but smaller. Only difference is that there is no male or female only bedroom," Hermione answers after swallowing some food.

"Who did you share a bed with?" Lavender asks, leaning closer as if that would allow her to get more juicy information.

"Was it Akira? He seemed rather close to you this morning~" Parvarti tacks on. Hermione's eyebrow twitches. She wasn't going to give them that information.

"I slept on the couch. Now leave me be so I may eat in peace," Hermione snaps at the two. Of course the couch part was a lie but no one needed to know that. Just as the two girls were about to pester Hermione some more, another voice speaks up.

"Oi! You heard her! Leave her alone!" says none other than Ron Weasley. After first year, Hermione and Ron had become friends. They weren't close but they tolerated each other. Hermione sent a grateful smile to Ron, who nodded back. Lavender and Parvarti huff but they backed down and go back to talking with each other as they ate breakfast.

As Hermione got interrogated by the gossipers of Gryffindor, the Phantom Thieves had a surprisingly peaceful breakfast, only to be interrupted by Minerva. The group felt that they could trust Minerva so far as she had been nothing but helpful. The Head of Gryffindor informed them that Lily and James would be helping them get anything they needed during their free periods. It would be James after breakfast and then Lily halfway through the morning.

" _Ugh, I can't believe people have started to make rumors about Hermione,"_ Ann comments after Minerva left.

" _I noticed that Hermione was being interrogated at her table. That most definitely will not help,"_ Yusuke adds on.

" _Hermione seems like a strong girl. Hopefully these rumors won't bother her too much,"_ Morgana says.

" _And if they do, we help her out. She's our friend now, so we should look after her whenever possible,"_ Makoto says. The rest nod in agreement as they dig into their interesting breakfast. When breakfast finished up and the students and most of the teachers had filed out, James approaches the group, a smile on his face.

"Good morning! I hope you slept well," James says.

"Yeah! We did! Thanks for asking," Ann says with a smile.

"Well, are you all set? We do have to stop at Gringotts, the Wizarding Bank, to get you guys money to spend in the Wizarding World. Additionally, they can trade out your Japanese Muggle currency for the British Muggle currency," James explains.

"That's very kind of you Mr. Potter," Makoto says to James, who smiles.

"Think nothing of it. You are the friends of my son," James says. "I'll be helping you with Wizarding supplies while my wife will help you with the Muggle supplies."

"Yo, what's a Muggle?" Ryuji asks.

"Non-magical folk," James answers. He holds out a long scarf and tells them all to hold on, explaining that it was a Portkey and what it does. After everyone holds on, Morgana just holding onto Akira, James activates the Portkey and they all land in Diagon Alley, the Persona users on their asses. James helps them up before leading them into the large building that was, without a doubt, the bank known as Gringotts. A lot of stares were thrown their way since everyone thought James was dead.

" _Hey Akira, what are your thoughts so far on your dad?"_ Morgana asks.

" _He seems like a nice man so far. While I do feel a little.. off.. about being sent away.. I want to get to know my parents. I can't help but think something else was the reason for me being sent elsewhere,"_ Akira says.

"Oh Har- Akira, do you think you can make your eyes green again?" James asks, looking at his son. Akira nods and after a moment of concentration, his dark grey eyes revert to their natural emerald green.

"Oh wow Akira! You look really pretty with emerald eyes!" Futaba comments. Akira looks at his reflection in the blank screen of his phone.

"It's so odd seeing green eyes stare at me. Even though I've only had the dark grey for a few months now, it's still weird..." Akira comments. James was about to ask a question, but Akira cuts him off. "I'll tell you later."

"It's really suiting though man," Ryuji says. Before Akira could speak, they all arrived in front of a goblin.

"Good morning Griphook. May your gold never run dry," James greets. The goblin, now named Griphook, looks up and peers at James.

"Lord Potter. It has been some time since you last made an appearance as yourself. How may I assist you today?" Griphook says.

"Well, my son, Harry, who now goes by Akira, has returned and I'd like to set up an account where he and his friends may make withdrawals," James says. Griphook peers at Akira for a moment before hopping down.

"Follow me. A blood test will be necessary to confirm that he is your son," the goblin says. James and the Persona Users follow the goblin into an office. Griphook grabs a silver knife and a piece of parchment. He hands the knife to Akira as he explains what Akira needed to do. The messy raven haired teen takes the blade and pricks his finger before letting a few drops of blood hit the parchment. He watches as his blood becomes the ink on the paper, revealing the following:

 _Name: Akira Kurusu (formerly Harry James Potter)_

 _Birthday: July 31st, 1980_

 _Appearance on alternate Earth: October 31st, 2001_

 _Age: 17_

 _Biological parents: James Fleamont Potter (father) & Lily J. Potter neé Evans (mother)_

 _Adoptive parents: Baku Kurusu (father) & Kimiko Kurusu neé Nakamura (mother)_

 _Race: Wizard_

 _Abilities: magic, Persona & animagus (possible)_

 _Magical blocks: none_

 _Patronus: panther_

 _Animagus: panther_

Griphook waits for Akira to finish looking over the paper before taking the paper. The goblin grins widely upon seeing the results and looks up to James as he hands the paper back to Akira.

"Well Lord Potter. Looks like we're in business," the goblin says. After about an hour and A LOT of paperwork, a small vault was set up for the Phantom Thieves to use while in this world. Additionally, Griphook helped to transfer their yen into pounds for later when Lily was helping them around Muggle London. When their business was finished in Gringotts, James starts leading them towards Ollivander's so that Akira could have a wand should he desire to learn magic while here. When the odd group arrives, James pushes the door open, letting the teenagers enter first before entering himself. An old man comes wheeling out on stairs and locks eyes with Akira.

"I was wondering when I would be giving you your wand Mr. Potter, or rather should I say Mr. Kurusu?" Ollivander says with a smile. "Which hand is your wand hand?"

"Wand hand...?" Akira asks, his black eyebrows furrowing.

"Your dominant hand," James clarifies for Akira.

"Oh right," Akira answers. Ollivander then zips off into the depths of his workshop to find the perfect wand. It seemed like an eon before Ollivander returned with a wand.

"Now this is a particularly interesting wand. Blackthorn with Phoenix feather core. 10" and supple," Ollivander says, handing the wand to Akira. Akira takes the wand and blue flames coalesce around his hand and the wand. After a few moments, the flames subside and Akira looks up at Ollivander.

"Was that good?" Akira asks.

"Yes. That was wonderful! An interesting reaction to the wand picking you. Keep in mind that while you and your wand have bonded, in order to complete the bond, you will have to overcome great strife as that is the one true way to unlock full power with a wand made from blackthorn," Ollivander says. The Phantom Thieves all knew that this strife would either be the possible Palace here or something in the Tournament Akira had been thrown into unwillingly. After paying for the wand, James leads the teenagers out of the wand shop and lets them peruse Diagon Alley so that they could see if there was anything else of interest in the Wizarding World they would want before Lily took them to Muggle London.

It was about two hours later when Lily met up with the group. James then went back to Hogwarts as Lily took over. The red haired woman leads the group of teens and one cat to the Leaky Cauldron. The group winds their way through the starting to get busy pub and they exit the Leaky Cauldron and step onto the streets of Muggle London. The Phantom Thieves look around in wonder at how drastically different London of 1994 was from Tokyo of 2017. Lily couldn't help but giggle lightly at the teens before leading them further down the street to get them any Muggle supplies they would need. The teens went into various stores to get clothing that would fit them. All of them struggled a bit to find some clothes that weren't so horrendous as it was the 90s. Once the Persona users were all set with their Muggle supplies, Lily brought them back to the Leaky Cauldron to get them some lunch before they would head back to Hogwarts. Thanking Lily for her assistance once back at Hogwarts, the Phantom Thieves headed back up to where they were staying to put all of their things away. Once their living quarters were all set, the Phantom Thieves look at each other and know what had to be done - finding out if there was a Palace.

" _Alright Akira, time to see if there's a Palace here in this world!_ " Morgana says, sitting on the table. The other Thieves sit and watch Akira, who pulls out his phone and opens the app.

" _Albus Dumbledore_ ," Akira states.

" _Target found,_ " the monotonous electronic voice says. Everyone in the room scowls heavily upon hearing that their suspicions were confirmed.

" _The location is obviously Hogwarts,"_ Ryuji says.

" _Location confirmed."_

 _"But what does he see himself as and how does he see Hogwarts as?"_ Makoto hums out thoughtfully.

" _I think we'll need some inside thoughts on this - primarily in the form of Hermione,"_ Futaba adds.

" _Smart thinking Futaba. And we do want to test that curse theory with her,"_ Morgana says.

" _I could probably learn some spells from her that could be useful in this stupid Tournament that's coming up,"_ Akira states.

" _A wonderful idea Akira. I think we could help you with that by finding spells and letting you test them on us for practice,"_ Makoto says.

" _Wait, who said we were gonna be test dummies?"_ Ryuji says, glaring at the Student Council President.

" _Well, Akira needs as much support as he can get so this is our best option,"_ Makoto counters. Ryuji groans and throws his head back.

" _Uuuuggghhh fine,"_ the blonde male groans out.

" _I do have one concern though.. How are we going to keep our phones charged? After all, there won't be a charger for us to be able to use.."_ Yusuke points out.

" _And we don't know how magic works with technology either,"_ Ann says.

" _More questions for Hermione...?"_ Morgana suggests.

" _Yeah, more questions for Hermione. Hopefully she'll be done with class soon but I think for the time being, we should only keep one phone on at a time,"_ Akira says.

" _Smart thinking. Keep yours on Akira. Everyone else turn yours off,"_ Makoto says. With a nod from everyone, they shut their phones off to conserve battery life until they could come up with a way to keep their phones charged in this world. For the time being, the Phantom Thieves decided to walk around the castle as they waited for Hermione to be done with class so they could start preparing for any oncoming strife and injustice that this world was going throw at them.


	5. Some Answers But Many Questions

For once in her academic life, Hermione wanted classes to be over for the day. The day was taking forever and classes moved slowly. Then again, starting the day with double potions was never a great way to begin. Despite her impatience, Hermione did her best in classes. Just because she wanted classes to be over didn't mean she was going to slack off! If anything, it made her work harder and more diligently than she had ever before. As always the bushy haired female ignored the whispers about her; it was nothing new, even if the whisperings were different.

When classes had finally finished for the Gryffindor, Hermione heads off to try to find the Thieves. Not sure where to go first, she makes her way towards Gryffindor Tower in the hopes she'll run into one of them on the way. To her disappointment, none of the Thieves had crossed her path. Hermione swiftly enters the tower and heads up to her room to discard her bag and books. She then decides to check the library, as it was her first place to look for anything and figuring Makoto at the very least would be there. Makoto had given Hermione the impression of being the responsible one of the group and a possible book nerd like herself. Using a secret passage to get to the library quicker, Hermione heads off. Upon entering the library, the witch was quite happy to find that she had been right. Off to the side and sitting at one of the larger tables were the Phantom Thieves. Hermione makes her approach, garnering Ann's and Akira's attention first.

"Hey Hermione!" Ann calls out cheerfully, making sure to not be too loud as to not receive Madam Pince's wrath. The other five look over upon hearing Ann.

"Hello. How was your day?" Hermione asks.

"Decently successful I'd say," Ryuji answers.

"Yeah, Akira's parents helped us get settled in. Oh! Akira also has a wand now!" Ann chips in.

"You do? Oh that's great! May I see it?" Hermione asks, her focus shifting to Akira. The messy haired teen nods and pulls out the wand for Hermione to see.

"Blackthorn and Phoenix feather core. Whatever that means," Akira hums out.

"Oh it's absolutely beautiful!" Hermione praises, looking over the wand.

"Thanks," Akira chuckles as he takes his wand back once Hermione was done looking it over.

"Hermione! Now that you're here, we have some questions we'd like to ask you," Morgana pipes up.

"Alright, I'll do my best to answer them," Hermione says.

"First, is there a more private place we can go to, other than our suite?" Makoto asks.

"Well, since classes are over, not counting Astronomy, the classrooms should be empty for the most part: Hermione answers.

"Splendid. Please bring us to one," Yusuke says. With a nod, Hermione leads the group to an empty classroom nearby. Ryuji and Futaba settle themselves on top of some desks; Ann sits in a chair properly while Makoto and Yusuke lean against a desk; Morgana jumps off of Akira's shoulders and lands on the desk that Ann was sitting at, leaving Akira and Hermione to stand in the middle of the room.

"Alright, second question... How well does magic and technology mix?" Makoto asks.

"Not well at the moment. Though I imagine with Professors Potter, they could probably figure out something to get them to mix. Why do you ask?" Hermione replies. Futaba holds her phone up.

"So we can keep our phones charged," Futaba answers.

"Third and fourth questions - Can you test hexes on me? And can you tutor me in magic?" Akira asks.

"I can certainly help with the tutoring. But why would you want me to hex you?" Hermione says, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion towards the end.

"I have a resistance to curses and I'm curious if that applies to this magic," Akira answers.

"And lastly... Any idea on how Dumbledore might see Hogwarts?" Morgana asks. "He has a palace and we need that word to get in," the cat then explains. Hermione frowns and things long and hard about what Dumbledore might view Hogwarts as.

"Well he certainly doesn't see himself as a ruler of sorts. I think your best luck would be to ask Akira's parents," Hermione answers after some time.

"Thank you for your answers," Makoto says.

"Of course. Are you ready Akira?" Hermione asks. Akira nods.

"Yup. Hit me with your best shot," Akira smirks. The bushy haired girl nods and pulls her wand out, aiming it at AKira.

" _Titillando!"_ Hermione intones. A purple, spectral, hand-like beam shoots from the tip of her wand and streaks out towards the ravenette. As the reaches Akira and begins to tickle him, Akira simple shrugs it off.

"What was that supposed to do?" Yusuke asks, tilting his head a bit.

"Tickle and weaken the target," the witch answers.

"Well, I think it's safe to say our theory was correct," Makoto says.

"Which means any elemental spell would have the same effect, right?" Ryuji asks.

"Probably," Akira says.

"I have a simple fire one I can try if that's helpful," Hermione offers.

"It is, but would it make sense for me or Yusuke to be the test subject?" Ann asks

"I think it would be most useful for me to be the test subject. After all, I am weak to fire," Yusuke says.

"I agree with Inari. Besides wanting to see him hit with a spell, it would help prepare Akira better," Futaba chirps. She just grins cheekily like the little gremlin she was at Yusuke's glare. Yusuke trades spots with Akira and motions for Hermione to cast the spell.

" _Incendio!"_ Hermione casts. A small jet of fire shoots out at the bluenette. Yusuke closes his eyes and braces himself for the oncoming pain. The magic fire hits him, causing him to fall onto his ass and groan. Futaba snickers.

"Ow," Yusuke grunts. He lays there a moment to recover from the fire."

"Well that answers that!" Ryuji says. "Another question - should the resistant person be the target for elemental spells?"

"Probably, but I'm guessing there aren't that many elemental spells?" Makoto hums out.

"You would be correct. But do you want to start now?" Hermione asks.

"The sooner I start, the more prepared I will be for this bullshit," Akira answers.

"Right. We'll start off with basic spells for today," Hermione says. For the rest of the afternoon, the leader of the Phantom Thieves begins his magic training. Each Phantom Thief took turns being test dummies for Akira. Akira was quite pleased at how quickly the spells were coming to him, which in turn made Hermione happy. When dinner time started to roll around, everyone was pretty tired, feeling like they just spent the entire day in Mementos. On the bright side however, Akira had a much larger arsenal for the Triwizard Tournament.

"Man, I'm beat! Is it almost dinner time?" Ryuji whines.

"It actually is," Hermione says. The mention of food got the test dummies up and moving, happily following Hermione to the Great Hall.

"Say Hermione, why don't you sit with us?" Ann suggests.

"Or are you required to sit with your Houses?" Makoto inquires. Hermione blinks.

"You know... We're only required to sit at our House tables during important feasts... So I think I will," Hermione says. "It would be a stupid rule if it was for every single meal!"

"Wonderful," Yusuke says. As they entered the Great Hall, almost all eyes were on the Phantom Thieves and consequently, Hermione. Pushing down her nerves, Hermione follows the Thieves to their table and sits down with them. When no professor, not even Snape, made to stop her, the Great Hall goes up in a flurry of whispers. Whispers about Hermione were among the most heard, the rest being comments of realization that they could sit anywhere. Gryffindors were the first to try sitting at other tables, followed by Hufflepuffs. Ravenclaws took some time to actually move and even a few Slytherins moved. However, no students approached the table where the thieves and Hermione sat. The meal then went on as normal, nothing odd or out of place happening. Hermione enjoyed her time with her new friends, a genuine smile on her face. She actually stayed in the Great Hall for almost the entire length of dinner for once, event if she was faintly flustered with how close Akira had put himself to her. Honestly, it was an odd but pleasant feeling she got around Akira and she had deduced that she was developing a crush hard and fast on the male. The obvious flirting that had been directed at her since last night was certainly not helping that fact!

When dinner eventually came to an end, Hermione bades the seven goodnight and heads back to Gryffindor Tower. The group was about to leave when they notice James and Lily approaching them. The two adults had figured that the group had more questions for them and they had some for the group of teenagers and cat.

"So, shall we all sit down with a nice cup of tea and chat?" James asks the group.

"Yeah, we have a lot to discuss," Akira answers before turning and heading off towards the guest suite, the rest following close behind him.


End file.
